


Bah Hum-Pug

by rosamund_mary



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas Party, M/M, Ugly Holiday Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-03
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 15:52:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5339813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosamund_mary/pseuds/rosamund_mary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Louis could take more than two steps away, Nick dragged him back by the collar of his tacky sweater. “That guy looks much too desperate. I have a much better idea. 20 quid to pull the tall, hipster, curly one over there.” Nick nodded to the corner of the room where Louis laid eyes on a boy in a red sweater vest with a Christmas tree on the front.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bah Hum-Pug

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOkaWfwU9H8&feature=youtu.be) where everyone has terrible sweaters and also because I own the sweater Louis is described in. Here's a little light-hearted terrible sweater banter to warm your toes this Larry-mas.

He hadn’t even been invited to this party. Not technically, anyway. It was some stupid Winter Wonderland mixer being thrown by Niall and his fraternity brothers. Niall had told him that he had to bring "someone hot" from outside of the frat in order to get in and so Louis obliged - but only for the the free booze. All of the beautiful people here were just an added bonus making up for the fact that he had an 8am chemistry final Monday morning.

His circle of friends had grown exponentially louder with each passing hour and corresponding drinks, so how the topic had changed to who could pull the most unlikely person for the highest bid was not that surprising. 

“Oh, come on, Louis! It’s not like you’ve made a move on a single person here! What’s the matter?” Nick was teasing him too loudly for Louis’s liking, as he was far more intoxicated than Louis, so therefore his light-hearted jab was missed and Louis rolled his eyes and took another small sip from the cup in his hand.

“Yeah, Tommo! Let’s see you catch one, pick someone up! Don’t be a Bah Hum Pug!” Louis’s friend Liam chimed in as he pointed towards Louis’s sweater. The bright green fabric was trimmed in white with a pug wearing a Santa hat on one side. The other side of the pudgy dog reading “Bah Hum Pug” in bright red font. The rest of the group’s attention was turned towards Louis. He looked around awkwardly at his friends, also wearing tacky Christmas sweaters. He pulled at the hem of his sweater and rolled his eyes. The unbalanced chemical equations on his desk back in the dorm were suddenly sounding much better by the minute.

“I bet you 10 quid that if I pointed to any random here that Louis still wouldn’t go for it,” Niall wagered. 

“Hey now, I can be persuaded by cash, if that’s really the case,” Louis defended quickly. He wondered if this was the right decision by the wicked grins that spread across his friends’ faces.

Liam adorned a contemplative look and scanned through the crowd. He picked out a tall redhead who was grinding on a blonde guy that did not seem near as interested in the redhead's advances. 

Before Louis could take more than two steps away, Nick dragged him back by the collar of his tacky sweater. “That guy looks much too desperate. I have a much better idea. 20 quid to pull the tall, hipster, curly one over there.” Nick nodded to the corner of the room where Louis laid eyes on a boy in a red sweater vest with a Christmas tree on the front.

“You’ve got to be joking. I can’t be seen with someone in a tacky Christmas sweater.”

“We are literally all wearing tacky sweaters,” Nick says.

“Exactly. Which is why I’m pretending I don’t know any of you.”

“Oh come on! When was the last time you had a shag anyway? Afraid you’ll get shot down?” Nick waggled his eyebrows in a challenge and the guys around him laughed. Sober-Nick would be reluctant to hand over 20 quid and the look on his face when he did would be priceless.

“God, this is getting good. You gotta do it, mate, you can’t turn down this bet,” Niall was laughing and jumping up and down like an excited Boston Terrier.

With a sigh of defeat Louis hung his head briefly and with a quick “Fuck it,” he downed the rest of his drink and forcibly passed the empty cup to Nick, who burst into laughter with the rest of Louis’s friends, who were watching as Louis crossed the room to the boy in the sweater vest.

Halfway to his destination, the sudden realization of horror dawned that he had no idea what he was actually going to say. He knew how to flirt and he had a decent confidence level for a first year. Being the star football player in high school had built up ego and usually with flash of his smile and a wink of his baby blues he pulled every time. “It’s for Nick’s 20 quid, Louis. You can do this,” Louis’s little pep-talk to himself died on his tongue as he came within three steps of the boy in question.

The music was blasting loudly and making Louis's head pound. He quickly ran through good conversation starters and pick up lines in his head before he let out an undignified, “Hey. Cool party, huh?” Louis mentally slapped himself in the face.

The boy with the sweater vest glanced up from his phone to look at Louis with a pair bright, green eyes that sort of reminded him of the Christmas tree on the boy’s sweater. “Oh,” Louis thought to himself as he felt his stomach literally drop 6 inches. That was unexpected. 

“If by ‘cool’ you mean a validation to any stereotypes made on the social patterns of adolescents who abandon quality morals while away at university, then yes, ‘cool’ party.” The green eyes traveled back to the phone in his hand as Louis’s mouth fell slack for at least five seconds.

Louis shook himself and stood up a little taller, shifting his weight to lean on the wall behind him. “If you’re not enjoying yourself then why are you here?” So far the prospects of Louis winning this bet were slipping away with each passing second.

“I’m here with my friend Jeff. He drags me out to these events when the entry is ‘An attractive person to fill the house’; his words not mine. Mostly I just make sure he makes it back to the flat in one piece.” 

Sweater-vest guy looked back up to Louis and locked his gaze. Louis felt the other man studying him closely and once again was at a loss for words. He was obviously not on top of his game tonight. 

“I know what you mean, mate, most of the time I’m dragging my buddies back to the dorms too,” Louis supplied, jerking a thumb towards his group of friends across the room. The green eyed boy swiveled slightly towards Louis’s gesture and he wished he hadn’t pointed them out. Nick, Niall and Liam were fist pumping the air and tossing their thumbs up in a “good luck” sort of fashion. “Goddammit, guys,” Louis mumbled under his breath. “I’m Louis, by the way,” he offered as an afterthought.

“Harry. I’ve seen you around the science building before, haven’t I?” Louis startled slightly with the recognition. 

“Yeah, I’m an engineering major. I didn’t think you noticed me,” Louis grinned and Harry offered a slight smile.

“You’re a little hard to miss, with your loud Irish friend and the one that’s on the campus radio,” Harry supplied.

Louis looked sheepish for a moment before replying, “Yeah they’re …. something.” He glanced back again to see the three of his friends holding candy cane striped shots and miming rude gestures towards him. He quickly turned back to the boy in front of him. 

“So, what are you studying, Harry?”

The other boy smiled slightly as he answered with “Marine Biology and Oceanography. Earth’s greatest mystery so far. Considering we know more about space than we do about our own planet’s oceans, I figured I could be of some use and do what we haven’t done yet. Also, NASA nixed the astronaut program,” Harry joked through a grin that lit up his bright eyes. 

The next moment, Louis realized that he wasn’t going to be able to trick Harry into falling for a lame pick up line. The guy was too damn smart. Louis’s next decision was mostly fueled by liquid courage. “Look, I know this is going to sound really bad and make me look like a total dick, but my friends over there bet that I wouldn’t come and talk to you, and-”

Harry gripped Louis’s awful green sweater and grinned so bright Louis half expected actual rays of freaking sunshine to erupt from him at any second. Harry leaned forwards until his lips were brushing against Louis’ ear, “Well, we wouldn’t want to give them the satisfaction, would we?” 

Before Louis could fully process the entirety of the situation, Harry had him pinned against the wall was kissing him fervently. The absolute shock mixed with the alcohol in his system only delayed his reflexes by half a beat, because Louis found his hands winding their way through Harry’s curly hair and not only accepting, but reciprocated the kiss.

It didn’t last long but what they lacked in time they made up for with effort. Harry broke the kiss and ran his hands up Louis' chest to right his upturned collar. Louis leaned back against the wall, which was honestly all that was holding him upright at this point, and simply stared at the boy in front of him.

Harry reached around Louis and pulled out his phone from his back pocket, unlocking it and opening up the messaging app. He tapped out a message and sent it before handing it back to Louis. Louis looked at the phone in his hands and his eyes went wide with shock.

_Meet me at my room in 15, Bah Hum Pug. 20D._

“Maybe I’ll see you around more often, yeah Louis?” Harry smiled and with a final glance towards Louis’s slack-jawed friends, exited the party through the back kitchen door, leaving Louis slumped against the wall with a stupid look on his face to match his stupid sweater and his stupid racing heart under it.

Nick, Niall and Liam were at his side shortly after that, all yelling, wide-eyed and utterly beside themselves with the spontaneous turn of events. Louis regained his composure and raised a hand to silence his friends. 

They all shut their mouths and waited for Louis to fill them in with the details of the conversation. Louis had fully intended to carry on with the bet as if he was the almighty flirt master and deserved to be forever worshiped accordingly. However, what came out of Louis’s mouth was directed towards Nick, with a point of a finger in his chest.

“I think you owe me some money, Grimshaw.” Louis smirked as he pushed past his friends and headed towards the door Harry had just left through a moment ago. He hadn't expected to enjoy this party but suddenly Louis’s interest in tacky Christmas sweater vests had peaked considerably.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr [here](lourryintheam.tumblr.com) :) Kudos or comments are lovely little Larry-mas presents and they are completely free of charge. Happy December!


End file.
